Ljupcho Pecov paid 492,000 denars; Fehmi Stafa requested conditional release
The Basic Criminal Court said Pecov paid the fine; Stafa’s release decision was appealed and the case moved to the Court of Appeal.
Ljupcho Pecov – Gjavolot has paid the monetary penalty of 492,000 denars (8,000 euros) following his suspended two-year prison sentence handed down on 2 September, the Basic Criminal Court in Skopje told reporters at a briefing.
Court update and related cases
Former State Attorney and current lawyer Fehmi Stafa, who agreed a plea with prosecutors to a one-year-and-three-month prison sentence after being accused of taking a €50,000 bribe to influence a judge in Pecov’s case, remains in custody despite having requested conditional release.
The court said Stafa’s prison term would have been completed in March 2027, but the court had approved one month of conditional release and scheduled his release for 1 February 2027. That decision was appealed by the convicted person and the file was sent to the Court of Appeal on 24 September this year.
Judges at the Basic Criminal Court also briefed on the status of several ongoing dossiers. The case titled "Krmzov" is currently in the phase of economic and graphological expert analysis, with expert witnesses being heard as the prosecution’s proposed evidence is exhausted before the defence presents its material.
The older, unresolved case "Titanik" is at the stage of taking evidence with defence witnesses being examined. In the case against Trifun Kostovski and others, the Public Prosecutor’s Office for Organized Crime and Corruption filed an indictment that automatically went to the Specialized Department; the court assessed it as not being materially within that department’s remit because the alleged offences concern causing bank bankruptcies and negligence in office. Once that ruling is final, the case will be assigned to the court’s criminal adult division.
For the "Belanoca" case the prosecution still has two witnesses to present before the defence evidence continues. The trial against Stevcho Jakimovski on charges of "abuse" is suspended because the defendant is receiving hospital treatment; the next hearing is scheduled for 6 October and five further hearings are set through the end of the year.
The "Onkologija 2" case is in the defence evidence phase, starting with the first accused’s testimony, and six more hearings are scheduled before year-end. In the "Talir 1" matter the main trial was postponed, exceeding the statutory 90-day limit from the last hearing and meaning the proceedings must formally restart.
Photo: press material from the event
